1992 HONDA PRELUDE Owners Manual

Changing a Flat Tire

15.Tighten the
wheel nuts securely

in the same crisscross pattern.
Have the wheel nut torque check-
ed at the nearest automotive
service facility.
Tighten the wheel nuts to:

110 N .
m (1
1 kg-m, 80 Ib-ft)
16.Remove the wheel cover or

center cap.
Place the flat tire face down in
the trunk well.

17.Remove the
spacer cone from

the wing bolt, turn it over, and
put it back on the bolt.

18.Secure th e
flat tire by screwing

the wing bolt back into its hole.

19.Store th
e
jack in its holder with

the end bracket facing to the
rear. Turn the jack'
s end bracket
to lock it in place. Replace the
cover. Store the tool kit.

20.Store th e
wheel cover or center

cap in the trunk.

Taking Car
e
of the Unexpected

WING BOLT
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If Your Engine Won't Start

Diagnosing why your engine won't
start falls into two areas, depending
on what you hear when you turn
the key to START (III): You hear nothing, or almost
nothing. The engine's starter
motor does not operate at all, or
operates very slowly.
You can hear the starter motor
operating normally, but the
engine does not start up and run. Nothing Happens or the
Starter Motor Operates Very
Slowly
When you turn the ignition switchto START (III), you do not hear the
normal noise of the engine trying to
start. You may hear
a clicking
sound or series of clicks, or nothing
at all.
Check these things:
Check the

transmission interlock.
If you have a 5-speed, the clutch
pedal must be pushed all the way
to the floor or the starter will not operate. With an automatic
transmission, it must be in Park
or Neutral.
Turn the ignition switch to ON
(II). Turn on the headlights and
check their brightness. If the
headlights are very dim or don't
light at all, the battery is dis-
charged.
See Jump Starting on

page 191
.
Turn the ignition switch to

START (III). If the headlights do

not dim, check the condition of

the fuses. If the fuses are OK,

there is probably something
wrong with the electrical circuit

for the ignition switch or starter
motor. You will need a qualified

technician to determine the

problem. (See Towing on page
202.)

If the headlights dim noticeably
or go out when you try to start
the engine, either the battery is

discharged or the connections

are corroded. Check the condi-

tion of the battery and terminal
connections (see page 153 ). You

can then try jump starting the

car from a booster battery (see
page 191).

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If Your Engine Won't Start, Jump Starting

The Starter Operates
Normally

In this case, the starter motor
sounds normal when you turn the
ignition switch to START (III), but
the engine does not run. Are you using the proper starting
procedure? Refer to Starting
the Engine on page 109 . Do you have gas? Turn the
ignition switch to ON (II) for a
minute and watch the fuel gauge.
There may be an electrical
problem, such as no power to the
fuel pump. Check all the fuses
(see page 199 ).

If you find nothing wrong, you will
need a qualified technician to find
the problem. See Towing on page
202.
Jump Starting

If your car's battery has run down,
you may be able to start the engine
by using a booster battery. Although this seems like a simple
procedure, there are several precau-
tions you should take. Follow the
directions closely.
You cannot start a Honda with an
automatic transmision by pushingor pulling it. To jump start your car:
1. Open the hood and check the physical condition of the battery
(see page 152 ). In very cold
weather, check the condition of the electrolyte. If it seems slushy
or like ice, do not try jump
starting until it thaws.
If a battery sits in extreme cold, the
electrolyte inside can freeze.
Attempting to jump start with a frozen battery can cause it to
rupture or explode.
2. Turn off all the electrical acces- sories: heater, A/C, stereo system,
lights, etc. Put the transmission in Neutral
or Park and set the parking
brake.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
CONTINUED
A battery can explode if you
do not follow the correct

procedure, seriously injuring

anyone nearby.

Keep all sparks, open flames,

and smoking materials away

from the battery.
NOTICE
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Jump Starting

3. Connect one jumper cable to the positive (+) terminal on the
booster battery. Connect the
other end to the positive (+)
terminal on your Honda's battery. 4. Connect the second jumper cable
to the negative (—) terminal on
the booster battery. Connect the other end to the grounding strap
as shown. Do not connect this
jumper cable to any other part of
the engine.
5. If the booster battery is in another car, have an assistant
start that car and run it at a fast

idle.
6. Start your car. If the starter
motor still operates slowly, check
the jumper cable connections to
make sure they have good metal-
to-metal contact.
7. Once your car is running, disconnect the negative cable
from your car, then from the
booster battery. Disconnect the positive cable from your car,
then the booster battery.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
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If Your Engine Overheats

Your car's temperature gauge
should register in the midrange
under most conditions. It may register higher if you are driving
up a long steep hill on a very hot
day. If it illuminates the red
marker at the right end of the
gauge, you should determine the

reason.

Driving with the temperature
gauge's red marker lit can cause serious damage to your engine. Your car can overheat for several
reasons, such as lack of coolant or a
mechanical problem. The only
indication may be the temperature
gauge illuminating the red marker. Or you may see steam or spray
coming from under the hood. In
either case, you should take
immediate action.
1. Safely pull to the side of the road.
Put the transmission in neutral
or Park and set the parking
brake. Turn off the climate control and all other accessories.
Turn on the hazard warning indicators.

2. I f
you see steam and/or spray
coming from under the hood,
turn off the engine.
3. If you do not see steam or spray,

leave the engine running and
watch the temperature gauge. If
the high heat is due to overload- ing (climbing a long, steep hill on
a hot day with the A/C running,
for example), the engine should
start to cool down almost immedi-
ately. If it does, wait until the
temperature gauge comes down
to the midpoint then continue
driving.

4. If
the temperature gauge
continues to display the red
marker, turn off
the
engine.
5. Wait until you see no more signs
of steam or spray, then open the

hood.

Taking Care of the Unexpected

NOTICE

Steam and spray from an over-

heated engine can seriously
scald you.
Do not open the hood if steam
is coming out.

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If Your Engine Overheats

6. Look for any obvious coolant
leaks, such as a split radiator
hose. Everything is still extreme-
ly hot, so use caution. If you find
a leak, it must be repaired before
you continue driving (see
Towing on page 202 ).

7. If
you don't find an obvious leak,

check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank (see page
139). If the level is below the
MIN mark, add coolant to half-
way between the MIN and MAX
marks.

8. I f
there was no coolant in the
reserve tank, you may also have
to add coolant to the radiator. Let the engine cool down until
the temperature gauge registers
below the midpoint, or lower,
before checking the radiator. 9. Using gloves or a large heavy

cloth, turn the radiator cap
counterclockwise, without
pushing down, to the first stop.
This releases any remaining
pressure in the cooling system.
After the pressure releases, push down on the cap and turn it until
it comes off.

10.Start th e
engine and set the

heater control lever to maximum.
Add coolant to the radiator up to
the base of the filler neck. If you
do not have the proper coolant
mixture available, you can add
plain water. Remember to have
the cooling system drained and
refilled with the proper mixture as soon as you can.

11.Put the radiato
r cap back on

tightly. Run the engine and
watch the temperature gauge. If
it illuminates the red marker
again, the engine needs repair.
(See Towing on page
202.)

12.If th e
temperature stays normal,
check the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. If it has
gone down, add coolant to the MAX mark. Put the cap back on

tightly.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
Removing the radiator cap
while the engine is hot can
cause the coolant to spray out, seriously scalding you.
Always let the engine and radiator cool down before
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Low Oil Pressure

The low oil pressure light should never come on when the engine is
running. If this light comes on with
the engine running, take immediate

action.

Running the engine with low oil
pressure can cause serious mechani-
cal damage almost immediately.
Turn off the engine as soon as you
can safely get the car stopped. 1. Safely pull off the road and shut
off the engine.

2. Le
t
the car sit for a minute. Open

the hood and check the oil level
(see page 135). Although oil level
and oil pressure are not directly
connected, an engine that is very
low on oil can lose pressure
during cornering and other
driving maneuvers.

3. I f
necessary, add oil to bring the

level back to the full mark on the
dipstick (see page 135
).

4. Star t
the engine and watch the

oil pressure light. If the light
does not go out within ten
seconds, turn off the engine.
There is a mechanical problem
that needs to be repaired before
you can continue driving. (See
Towin g on

page 202 .
)

Taking Car e
of the Unexpected

LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT
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Charging System Indication

The charging system light should
go out after the engine starts. If it
comes on brightly with the engine
running, the alternator is no longer
charging the battery. Immediately turn off all electrical
accessories: radio, heater, A/C, rear
defogger, cruise control, etc. Try
not to use other electrically-
operated controls such as the
power windows. Keep the engine
running and take extra care not to
stall it. Starting the engine will discharge the battery rapidly. By eliminating as much of the

electrical load as possible, you can

drive several miles before the
battery is too discharged to keep
the engine running. Drive to a
service station or garage where you
can get technical assistance.

Taking Care of the Unexpected
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